


full swing

by doremifasorashige, thunderylee



Series: what if takaki and minseok are twins [1]
Category: EXO (Band), Hey! Say! JUMP
Genre: Canon Universe, Gen, all of exo and hsj are in this, baekhyun wants that yama d, birthday twins are actual twins, we put way too much thought into this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-21
Updated: 2015-07-21
Packaged: 2018-12-31 15:34:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12135522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doremifasorashige/pseuds/doremifasorashige, https://archiveofourown.org/users/thunderylee/pseuds/thunderylee
Summary: Minseok’s life really is a Korean drama.





	full swing

**Author's Note:**

> reposted from agck. written w kouhai.

Despite being full-blooded Korean, or so he thought, Minseok never felt like he had nearly as much drama as the people on TV. Nobody he knew had a heart condition or identity problems, and he definitely wasn’t in love with his sister. Life was pretty normal, even for a pop idol singing in both Korean and Chinese.

So when his mother drops the bomb that he has a half-Japanese twin brother, his first thought is to look around for hidden cameras. This has to be a joke, right? There’s no way his family would hide this from him for twenty-five years, not to mention that having a half-Japanese twin brother means that _he’s_ half Japanese as well.

“Your father and I were swingers in the late 80s,” his mother explains, and Minseok makes a face so unflattering that he doesn’t recognize himself in the nearby mirror. “We went to Japan on a trip where we met another couple, and nine months later we had you two!”

“You just split us up?!” Minseok exclaims, trying to get the image of his parents having sex _with other people_ out of his head. He chooses instead to focus on the brother he’s always wanted actually existing this entire time, just across the sea.

“It seemed like the fair thing to do at the time,” his mother answers. “Things like that happened a lot in our community.” Minseok scoffs at the thought of a swinger’s community. “We meant to keep in touch, but the Takakis had other children and our schedules never matched up.”

“Takaki…” Minseok trails off. “Why does that name sound familiar?”

“Your brother is a pop idol in Japan now,” his mother says proudly. “Your talents must have formed in the womb! He recently learned that his blood type doesn’t match his father’s and his parents told him the truth, so he contacted us. He’s very excited to meet you. Maybe you two can perform together!”

Separated at birth and reunited on stage—yeah, that sounds a lot like a Korean drama plot. Minseok rubs his temples as he tries to catch the curveball his life had just thrown at him.

Even with the truth glaring at him in the face, he finds it all a little bit unbelievable. He stares at the face of his supposed twin brother on the screen of his laptop, tucked away in his room back at the dorms.

“We don’t even look alike,” he grumbles to himself with his arms crossed over his chest. There is most definitely a pout on his face, but Minseok reasons that what he does in the privacy of his own room when no one is around is his business. He can pout if he wants to.

That being said, he can’t help but be a little curious about this Takaki Yuya. Google is an amazing place, Minseok thinks. The amount of information he can find out is slightly terrifying though.

He pushes his curiosity away though. He doesn’t have time to worry about this sibling he’s come to learn about right now, not with comeback promotions going on and the tour. Even if he wanted to, Minseok doesn’t have the time to plan a trip to Japan just to meet him. There is a part of him that wants to do nothing but that, though. He closes the tab with Takaki Yuya’s face on it and promises himself to worry about it later, when things slow down and EXO gets a break of some kind.

It takes a few weeks before Minseok thinks about it again, and the only reason why he does is by the addition of Japan locations to their tour. He keeps a calm persona during the meeting, but inside he’s a little excited. It’s as if the opportunity has been handed to him on a silver platter. Or course, Minseok will have to talk to his mother, see if she’s actually in contact with the Takakis and… Well, he’s isn’t sure after that, but it’s a start.

“Didn’t peg you as a Johnny’s wota,” Chanyeol confronts him one day after rehearsal when Minseok can’t switch tabs fast enough.

“Says the one who knows the terminology,” Baekhyun interjects, draping himself over Chanyeol’s shoulders the way he can only do when Chanyeol is sitting down. “Ooh, your new boycrush is cute, hyung.”

“Ew, he’s my brother,” Minseok blurts out before he can stop himself, then turns to find two pairs of eyes staring at him in disbelief. “Our parents…um. Used to be friends.”

A switch seems to flick on inside Baekhyun as he grabs Minseok’s laptop and points to one of the many sultry pictures of Takaki Yuya that litter the Google image search page. “Wait, you’re _related_ to this gorgeous specimen?! Can you hook me up?”

“Dude,” Chanyeol says, shoving at Baekhyun. “Let the man come to terms with his estranged brother before you skeeze on him.” He gives Minseok a pat on the arm. “Are you okay, hyung?”

“I have a twin brother I’ve never met, do you think I’m okay?!” Minseok explodes, then takes a breath. “Sorry, I’m just…overwhelmed. He wants to meet me and we have those shows in Japan, but…”

“Don’t worry, hyung,” Baekhyun says gently, and Minseok’s suspicious at how supportive he’s being until he adds, “I’ll go with you!”

“YOU’RE NOT SLEEPING WITH HIM!” Minseok yells, which naturally gets everyone’s attention, and the next twenty minutes are spent explaining to his group mates how it’s possible for him to have a Japanese pop idol as a twin brother.

As it turns out, Minseok hadn’t needed to worry after all, because their agencies set up the meeting for them. Minseok’s not sure who opened their big mouth, but he glares at Baekhyun the entire time leading up to the event. It’s become a public affair, fangirls across the world thrilled at the legitimate connection between the two popular idol groups; Minseok would think it was the first historical alliance between South Korea and Japan with as much publicity as they get, which both of their managers just claim is good for sales.

Minseok isn’t sure if it’s the fact that it’s now become a publicity stunt or not, but the night before he’s actually supposed to meet Takaki he’s somewhat nervous. He sits in their hotel in Japan, staring off into space as he mulls over the fact that in less than 24 hours, he’s going to meet his _brother_.

“You look like hell,” Kyungsoo comments bluntly when he catches a look of Minseok’s face.

He blinks a few times before focusing. “I feel even worse.”

Kyungsoo hums. “Ah, nerves.”

There’s a beat before Minseok speaks again. “Isn’t this supposed to be where you offer encouraging words, or something?”

Kyungsoo just raises an eyebrow at him. “I thought you were the hyung.”

“I feel like I’m suddenly twelve and not twenty-five,” he admits softly. “It’s like when you go to a new school for the first time, that constant worry of if you’re going to get along or if it’s just going to be a disaster.”

“Well,” Kyungsoo says after a few seconds of thinking it over. “I think if anyone could come out of a situation like this unscathed—not that this is a normal situation in _any way at all_ ,” he adds. “But I have faith in you. You’re pretty much the nicest person ever, after Yixing hyung.”

Minseok smiles a little at that. His nerves are still all over the place, but it kind of puts things into perspective. “It’s all so weird.”

Another hum. “And here we thought you were the normal one.”

He supposes he should be grateful that their actual first meeting isn’t televised. There will be an interview with both of them, very likely the first of many after JE and SM release them to the international media, but Minseok gets to see his estranged twin brother in person for the first time behind closed doors with no hidden cameras.

“Hi,” Takaki greets him, scaring the shit out of Minseok who expected the room to be empty. “I’m glad you’re here.”

His Korean is choppy and unpracticed, but Minseok smiles at the effort. “I understand Japanese,” he says carefully, his fourth language a little rusty.

It must be comprehensible enough, because Takaki’s face lights up and seems to make all of Minseok’s apprehensions go away. “You’re very good-looking,” Takaki says, his words clear and strong like that’s not a completely weird thing to say, and Minseok smiles despite himself.

“You’re not so bad yourself,” he says, taking a seat across the small table. “Must run in the family!”

Takaki laughs and it’s so natural that Minseok relaxes completely, lounging in his chair instead of sitting up straight. The first thing Takaki does is pull out his phone and show Minseok pictures of his siblings, who are technically Minseok’s half-siblings, and Minseok responds with pictures of his own sister. Just for fun, they scrutinize Minseok’s dad and Takaki’s mom and try to find any similarities in their own appearances.

“That’s crazy about our parents, huh?” Takaki says, looking sheepish for the first time since Minseok arrived. Minseok supposes that Takaki doesn’t much care for the idea of being conceived out of group sex, either. “I was really mad when I found out.”

“Me too,” Minseok admits. “They acted like it wasn’t a big deal, but I’ve always wanted a brother and…well…here you are.”

“Here I am!” Takaki exclaims, spreading his arms open like he’s on stage. “Mom says you were born first, so you’re the older one. I only have a younger brother and older sisters, so this will be new for me too! What should I call you?”

“Um, in Korean we don’t use anything special for same-age siblings, so I guess you can just call me Minseok. Or whatever you would use in Japanese.”

“Minseok,” Takaki says carefully, and Minseok can tell that he’s spent a lot of time practicing how to say the name. “Call me Yuya if you want. Sometimes people call me Yuyan.”

Minseok looks at him with curious amusement. “Yuyan?”

Takaki flushes and looks at his lap with a shrug. “It’s a thing that some of the other members or Johnny’s do. Fans too.” He looks to Minseok then and nudges him with his elbow. “They have to do something like that in Korea too.”

He makes a face. “Yeah, we do. The same silly idea of making the names sound cute. Some of others do it when they want someone.” Minseok laughs a little at that, thinking of Baekhyun specifically and how he always wants something he usually can’t have and how he tries to act cute to get it.

The talk flows easily from there, going from things like bonding over being in large groups to being one of the oldest. Minseok is shocked at how easily they get along once the conversation gets going. It’s as if he’s had a brother for years and not five minutes. He’s a little disappointed when it’s time to go; duty calls though and concert rehearsals aren’t going to attend themselves.

“Despite how I was angry when I first found out, I’m actually really glad you exist,” Takaki says when they both stand to part ways outside of their little meeting room. He leans in then and wraps his arms around Minseok, pulling him into a hug.

It startles Minseok at first; he wasn’t expecting to be hugged. But then again, he wasn’t expecting to have a brother either, let alone a half Japanese twin brother. “Same,” he agrees and squeezes back just as tight. After the initial awkwardness subsides, it feels like the millionth time instead of the first time.

Later when he’s back at the hotel, lying flat on his bed with his limbs sprawled out, Baekhyun comes skipping into the room, fresh from a shower and his hair dripping wet.

“So,” he says, plopping himself on Minseok’s bed like a child. “How’d it go? Is he as hot in person as he is on the Internet?”

Groaning, Minseok rolls his eyes. “ _That is my brother you’re talking about,_ ” he says. “Please keep your prevented thoughts to yourself.”

“What’s the point in being in a group with all guys if I can’t express myself?”

“Does blood relation mean nothing to you?”

Baekhyun fixes him with a look. “Do you mean to tell me that if you didn’t know he was your brother and you saw him, you wouldn’t wanna tap that?”

“Why are we playing the what if game?!” he shouts. “There is no what if. Please stop before I barf all over you.”

Much to Minseok’s displeasure, everything seems to be coming up Baekhyun and thus the two groups are pushed together for a variety show.

“We wanted to do a special stage, but your songs don’t exactly go well together and there are, like, a lot of you,” Hey! Say! JUMP’s manager tells them, translated by an older Korean lady who looks like she’d rather be anywhere else than in a room with eighteen male idols and their managers.

“And Korean is hard,” the small one adds. Minseok doesn’t remember his name—he’d only been briefly introduced before the meeting—but he seems important, a leader-type despite being one of the younger ones.

“Yamada-kun, most of the EXO members know three languages,” his manager tells him, and Yamada looks sheepish for the rest of the meeting.

It will be a four episode show, the first ever aired in both Japan and South Korea simultaneously. Minseok wonders if Takaki also feels like he’s brought their countries closer together as they listen to the itineraries that their respective groups have to add to their already-busy schedules because of them. There’s a camping trip, a cooking challenge, and a baseball game, topped off with a free-for-all karaoke night. Honestly it sounds like a lot of fun, even if Minseok just wants to crawl in bed for three weeks after this grueling tour finally ends.

EXO’s manager doesn’t have anything to add, aside from a snide comment to _behave_ that’s aimed fully at Baekhyun. He disappears with JUMP’s manager to go over the paperwork, leaving the eighteen of them alone with no translator.

“I can’t believe you’re half _Korean_ ,” the one named Yamada says to Takaki. “I wish I had some Korean in me.”

“I can make that happen,” Baekhyun says under his breath, and both Minseok and Junmyeon turn to glare at him.

Across the room, Nakajima Yuto is standing next to Chanyeol, leaning up on his toes to look like the taller one. Chanyeol’s not paying him any attention, engrossed in Yaotome Hikaru’s iPod and nodding approvingly at the contents.

On the floor, Chinen Yuri is stretching and eyeballing Jongin, who’s eyeing him right back. Minseok can’t tell if they want to talk to each other or fight, nudging Takaki away from the SNSD video he’s showing some of the other JUMP members on his phone.

“That’s your maknae, right?” Minsoek whispers. “Should we push them together or something?”

“Let it happen naturally,” Takaki says gently. “Chinen’s like a cat. He won’t come to you until he’s ready.”

Minseok glances back over to Jongdae and understands completely.

True to Takaki’s word, things do develop naturally. It’s a somewhat slow progression, but everyone seems to get along alright, and no one’s started crying yet, so Minseok counts that as a win.

He really thinks everything will be okay until Baekhyun blurts out, “So are we having a massive orgy or what?” And for some reason he looks between Takaki and Minseok as he says it.

Minseok can’t help but place a hand on his face, palm covering it entirely. “Oh my god,” he mutters under his breath as his face heats with embarrassment. It’s impossible to take Baekhyun anywhere and expect him to be an adult really.

“‘Cause there’s a couple candidates that I’d like to check out in more depth, if you catch my drift.” Baekhyun wiggles his eyebrows for emphasis.

Minseok isn’t sure who, but someone in the room definitely chokes on something and—now his brain is going in a place he really doesn’t want it to go. There is no winning with these people. “Baekhyun, please stop.”

Baekhyun scoffs. “You don’t have to participate if you don’t want to, hyung.” He then leers at Takaki. “That just leaves more for me.”

“What’s he saying?” Okamoto Keito asks Yamada, who looks like he’s not sure whether he trusts his Korean listening skills or not.

“Don’t mind him,” Minseok tells them in Japanese, and they nod obediently. Not subtly at all, he leans over to Takaki and whispers, “Baekhyun wants to fuck your whole group.”

He doesn’t expect Takaki to burst out laughing, but it sure makes everything less humiliating. “Yama-chan’s probably game, but Keito and Yuto have been together for years.”

“Together?” Minseok inquires, looking toward the two in question who aren’t even sitting next to each other.

“Yeah, like dating.” Takaki pauses. “Isn’t anyone in your group together? I saw the little one in the blond one’s lap earlier.”

“Kyungsoo and Sehun?” Minseok chokes on his air. “No, not them. Yixing had a thing for a while with…well, he’s not in the group anymore.”

“Oh, bummer,” Takaki says sympathetically. “We lost a member too. It’s rough.”

“Really?” Minseok asks, and Takaki nods. “How are our lives so similar when we didn’t even know we were related until a little while ago?”

“No idea,” Takaki says, then grins. “Must be fate.”

As cheesy as it sounds, Minseok finds himself believing the words of his twin brother all throughout preparations for their new show. Little things that he’d thought were his own idiosyncrasies, like tapping each finger individually on the table while waiting or leaning back so far that his head is upside down when he’s trying to think, Takaki does too. When Jongdae comments how much they’re alike, Minseok knows it has to be true.

Minseok goes into this whole ordeal expecting it to be a disaster, so he’s pleasantly surprised when the camping trip goes off without a hitch. Between himself, Yamada, and that weird Okamoto kid, the eighteen of them manage to communicate in a mixture of Korean, Japanese, and English and even teach each other how to say things.

“Do you guys know Big Bang?” Yamada blurts out at one point, looking like he’s been dying to ask it since their first meeting, and Takaki apologizes on behalf of him.

Naturally the two brothers are to share a tent, but neither one seems to mind having the cameras constantly on them. Their managers will edit out anything too incriminating, anyway (like anything that happens in Baekhyun’s tent), so Minseok feels free to ask Takaki questions about his side of the family and his life to get to know him better.

It’s three in the morning and Minseok’s pretty sure they’re the only ones still awake, Sehun’s snoring signaling the downfall of the last of the nightbirds. Takaki’s in the middle of telling him about his first girlfriend, whom he ended up getting fired just for dating her, and how he hasn’t properly dated anyone since.

“I don’t want to ruin somebody else’s life,” he says sadly. “Our agencies aren’t very forgiving about those things.”

“Our girlfriends just get stalked by our fans,” Minseok tells him, amazed at the limitations of Japanese idol contracts. He’d thought SM was bad. “We’re not supposed to openly date either, but nobody really expects us to be celibate.”

“Oh, I didn’t say anything about celibacy,” Takaki says with a laugh, and Minseok’s eyes widen. “Let’s just say that our agency is made up of groups of Baekhyuns.”

“Don’t you want to get married?” Minseok asks. “Have a family and all that?”

“Someday,” Takaki answers with a wistful sigh.

“You’re already twenty-five,” Minseok says.

“I’m _only_ twenty-five,” Takaki corrects, and Minseok realizes how different they are after all.

Minseok doesn’t say anything for a while, thinking that over. It’s not that he’s really in a rush to get married himself—he still has to do his mandatory military service after all—but he can’t imagine having actual limitations on who he dates, or when he can get married.

Takaki seems to pick up on this in some way and says, “I don’t know how it is for other agencies in Japan, but Johnny’s is kinda… I don’t know, it’s kinda like a hierarchy when it comes to getting married.” He shrugs, making the fabric of his sleeping bag swish against the floor of the tent.

“That’s so weird,” he admits. “For us it’s kind of amazing to still be an idol at thirty. You’re old then, at least that’s the mindset.”

“I mean, we have a lot of young debuts, but a lot of them are still around for years. So it’s like, you have time to just live everything out, I guess?” Minseok looks over at him in the mostly dark tent and sees him make a face. “I don’t really think about it much. I just think about getting through another year as a group.”

And that, well, Minseok can relate to that very well.

It’s pretty amazing, Minseok thinks, that even with the busy schedules of both groups, all of this can be planned. He’s positive that when they get back home he’s going to sleep for three days because he’s so tired his body aches honestly, but it’s amazing nonetheless.

The cooking contest worries him a little. Everyone pairs off, and it works out well luckily since there are nine of each and he thanks god for small favors. Naturally, he and Takaki stick together since the whole reason this show exists is their sudden blood relation, but it’s interesting to see how everyone else splits up. Baekhyun seems to be having some type of crisis on who he wants to work with, jumping from, “The cute little one that gets angry every time I point out how short he is,” to, “the tall one that’s trying to catch up to Chanyeol’s giant status.”

“Yama-chan and Yuto-kun,” Takaki supplies without missing a beat while Minseok asks how is this his life.

“Please don’t make enemies with anyone,” he pleads. “We don’t need to be banned from the country.”

Baekhyun just scoffs.

In the end, Baekhyun goes with Yamada and the producers include their segment in half of the episode due to their incessant flirting. Minseok can almost see the number of crossover fanfictions rising, but he supposes he should be happy the fans aren’t writing about _him_ anymore. He’d found [one of himself and Takaki](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12135519) that he wants to bleach from his memory; apparently Baekhyun isn’t the only one who overlooks things as minuscule as a blood relation.

The actual contest is a mess because most of them don’t know how to boil water and only a few are familiar with the other country’s cuisine. Takaki and Minseok throw together some pasta and win the prize of ‘eternal glory and bragging rights’, though Minseok thinks the voting was rigged. At any rate, they all got to have fun working together and eating each other’s food—what was edible, anyway. Minseok’s fairly certain that Hikaru and Jongin’s creation should be submitted to a scientific lab for testing.

The baseball game proves to be much more challenging. Takaki and Minseok are made team captains and told they can pick whoever they want. Minseok picks Baekhyun first, not for his sports skills but to keep him separated from Yamada, whom Takaki chooses. They seem to be on a similar brainwave when it comes to keeping those two apart. In the name of unity, Minseok picks a few of Takaki’s group members at random, though Baekhyun eyes them just as much.

“I give up,” Minseok hisses to Takaki before they split up to play. “I’m just gonna let him loose and your guys can fend for themselves.”

“Probably for the best,” Takaki agrees. “Play ball!”

It’s quite possibly the most hilarious and frustrating game Minseok has ever played. Within the first inning, it’s clear that none of them are very good and thus they make a production out of it, pirouetting as they strike out and making up ridiculous high fives on the spot. Takaki keeps mentioning someone named “Kame-chan” who would be very disappointed in them, but seems to be an amusing character based on the impressions the JUMP members keep doing of him.

Takaki’s team wins 15-7, but Minseok’s not that bummed about it. It’s nice to get outside and run around after being cooped up in hotel rooms, studios, and venues for what feels like an eternity. The weather is nice and it feels good to yell and laugh loudly with other guys, even if their manager keeps reprimanding Baekhyun, Jongdae, and Kyungsoo for wearing out their voices in the middle of a tour.

The wonderful thing, in Minseok’s opinion, about being on tour and doing some type of collaboration with another group is that it doesn’t come off as unusual if they spend conspicuous amount of time together. Though, he can’t help but ask why everyone deems it necessary to gather in his hotel room.

“I feel like there’s an orgy taking place,” he says, staring at the piles of limbs on the floor.

Baekhyun snorts from somewhere. Minseok isn’t sure where exactly, him lost in a sea of people taller than him. “That can be arranged,” Baekhyun says lewdly.

Minseok can just picture the wiggle of eyebrows and makes a face in disgust. “No, it cannot.”

Takaki laughs from where he’s sitting next to Minseok on the bed and nudges him with an elbow. “I doubt they’ll do anything,” he says reassuringly. “Most of them aren’t into voyeurism.” He seems to think about it for a second before adding as an afterthought, “Except maybe Yama-chan.”

Minseok groans and flops back on his bed. “How is this my life,” he bemoans. Takaki just pats him consolingly on the leg. Minseok wishes it wasn’t as comforting as it was.

At least they’re all getting along. A large group of them are piled on the floor playing Cards Against Humanity, which they make the Okamoto kid translate out loud because it’s in English and the tips of his ears get red every time he has to say something dirty. On the other bed, Hikaru is showing Yixing and Junmyeon something on his laptop that has all of their eyes going wide. On Minseok’s own bed, he and Takaki lay with Baekhyun, Yamada, and four other scattered group mates to watch a marathon of some Japanese variety show on TV.

When Minseok falls asleep, it’s to the sound of a heartbeat identical to his own.

Karaoke with eighteen people is louder than a crowd of fangirls screaming at a concert. Minseok thinks they should have at least paired off for duets, but the executives wanted a competition and it takes about eight hours to narrow it down to two. All of Hey! Say! JUMP had been eliminated in the first half, now cheering on their respective EXO favorites as Baekhyun and Jongdae battle for more eternal glory and bragging rights. An early elimination, Minseok has entertained himself with fruity drinks and those fried octopus balls Takaki flails about so much because they’re a staple of his hometown. He’s equally as drunk and confident that he won’t fit into any of his pants tomorrow when Baekhyun claims the victory to the surprise of most everyone.

“I let you win!” Jongdae exclaims, shaking his fist like an old man yelling at the kids to get off his lawn.

“I let you _both_ win,” Kyungsoo declares, slurring from Yabu’s lap. Minseok is fairly certain that his groupmate has no idea he’s not lying on one of their own members, but thinks that neither one of them cares very much at this point.

“I never doubted you for a second,” Yamada says to Baekhyun, who beams so proudly that he doesn’t notice Yamada grabbing his collar until their mouths smash together. A sea of hoots and hollers join the cacophony, followed by a few muttered swears from the camera crew because they certainly can’t air this part.

“It was inevitable,” Takaki says, holding his fist up for Minseok to pound with his own. “At least nobody can get pregnant.”

“Hear, hear,” Minseok agrees.

Minseok would never admit it out loud but he was a little sad when it was time to go home. Their Japan concerts were done, as was the special variety show they did with Takaki’s group. He didn’t let it show as they made their way through the airport, but Minseok felt like a space was suddenly carved out of him. He finally got the brother he always wanted and they can’t even spend _normal_ time together.

But life for an idol doesn’t stop just because you have a long lost twin brother, especially not a popular idol.

Time passes and Minseok lives pretty much as he did before, the only difference now is occasionally he talks to Takaki on the phone, or via email. It’s never anything important, just stupid things. A cat video here and there, but it’s kinda great.

“It’s nice to hear that you’re getting along with him,” his mother says when he finally has the chance to visit her again. “I was a bit worried when I told you.”

Minseok smiles at her, albeit weakly. “I was upset for a while, but then we met and it was pretty cool. Weird, but cool.” He shrugs it off like it’s nothing. “I’m glad you told me.”

His mother sighs sadly. “You’re such an adult, Minseok,” she says and pats his hair gently.

He rolls his eyes but allows her to continue without a fuss.

The accident is not something he anticipated. It’s not anything anyone could have anticipated, but Minseok is in shock nonetheless.

“There’s a reason why I don’t drive in the city,” he says when news gets out about it, covering every and any headline possible. “It’s like you’re just asking for trouble.”

“Did you…” Junmyeon starts, then seems to think better of it. “Of course you didn’t. Right?”

“ _Right_ ,” Minseok says so testily that the others visibly lean back. Getting angry at them doesn’t really help his case right now, but neither does his own groupmates thinking he was the latest Kpop idol involved in a hit-and-run scandal.

The worst part is Minseok doesn’t have an alibi. He was out driving around by himself when it happened. The witness saw a car that looks like his speeding away with a driver who looks like him, who could probably be anyone in South Korea. Or he was framed by an anti who gets off on ruining idols’ lives. It’s sad that the latter possibility seems more likely.

“I need to go away for a while,” he tells Yixing, who just nods. Whether he’s giving Minseok his space or keeping his distance from an alleged murderer, Minseok isn’t sure, but he’s not going to stick around to find out.

Jongdae, ever the voice of reason, is the one to stop him at the door. “Fleeing the country only makes you look guilty, you know.”

“They already think I’m guilty,” Minseok says flatly, the fight gone from his voice after spending what felt like hours defending himself to his manager and EXO’s lawyer.

His parents had offered refuge, but going back home feels a little like failing as an adult. He’s at the airport before he realizes how easy it would be to track him, his credit card records inviting anyone to find him. But nobody gives him a second glance all the way to Japan, where he dials the only local number in his phone.

“Yuya-yah,” he says, not bothering to hide the choke in his voice. “I need you.”

“Minseok?” Takaki answers, sounding frantic. “Where are you?! It’s on the news, everyone’s asking me if you’re okay, Mom’s going crazy—”

“I’m at Narita,” Minseok cuts him off. “Can you come pick me up, please? And don’t tell anyone.”

For one horrible second, Minseok thinks that Takaki is going to ask him the same question just about everyone else had, but all Takaki says is “got it” and hangs up, leaving Minseok bracing himself against the nearest pillar in relief. Irony is the person he’s known for barely a year (plus the nine months in the womb, he supposes) having faith in him when it feels like no one else does.

Takaki pulls him into a tight hug the moment he spots him, wrapping his arms around him and _squeezing as tight as he can_. It nearly takes the breath completely out of him but Minseok can’t help but feel a little bit grounded by the action.

“You okay?” Takaki asks once he pulls away, taking Minseok’s small luggage in his hand.

Minseok just nods and adjusts his baseball cap on his head. “Yeah.” He watches Takaki’s face as he bites his lip, possibly trying to think of what to say next, but in the end he says nothing and leads Minseok out of the airport.

It isn’t until they get to Takaki’s apartment does he let out a breath he had no idea he’d been holding. He pulls the cap off his head and runs a hand through his hair, looking around the place without actually seeing. Behind him, he can feel Takaki hovering and it should be annoying, but it isn’t.

He let’s out a sigh before turning to face Takaki full on. “It sucks that the only reason we get to see each other again is because of some stupid scandal.”

Takaki makes a face in agreement but shrugs. “Maybe it’s _fate_ ,” he says with mocking jazz hands and a grin that threatens to split his face in two.

“You’re ridiculous,” Minseok laughs.

“Regardless of why you’re here, it’s still nice. I’m sure mom would be glad to see you too,” Takaki says over his shoulder as he heads to the kitchen to get them drinks. “She was complaining that there was no chance last time, so I’m sure this will make her happy.”

“I guess…” Minseok trails off, occupying his mind by looking at all of the random trinkets and decorations in Takaki’s living room. “I don’t want to be around anyone for a day or two, I think.”

“I assume I’m not ‘anyone’?”

A warm cup of tea appears under his nose and Minseok awkwardly grabs for it. “No, you’re not. And thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.” Takaki sits down on the ugly floral couch and motions for Minseok to do the same. “I’m glad you called me. I was really worried when Yamada told me what had happened.”

Minseok sits and takes a sip of the tea, more bitter than he’s used to but still soothing. “I didn’t do anything wrong. I go driving at night sometimes. I wasn’t even in the city, but I didn’t stop anywhere for someone to see me.”

A strong hand rests on his back, applying just enough pressure to stop Minseok’s body from shaking. He hadn’t even realized he’d been doing it, the teacup clattering a bit when he goes to put it down.

“Calm down, aniki,” Takaki says gently, the Japanese term of endearment lessening Minseok’s tension. “Everything’s gonna be okay.”

“I wish I could believe that.” Minseok pulls his knees up to his chest, socked feet hanging off the edge of Takaki’s sofa. “I just want to curl up into a ball and forget the world for a while.”

Takaki’s grin looks out of place. “Then let’s do it!”

It should be weird, one grown man in another grown man’s lap, but somehow feeling Takaki’s warmth all around him is more comforting than anything he’s ever experienced in his life. If he and Takaki had been raised together, he might revisit a memory of sitting like this as kids, but he’s got nothing. It’s foreign and familiar at the same time, nothing but uplifting spirits like Takaki has serotonin spilling from his pores.

“Mom said when we were infants, barely hours old, I would hold onto you like this,” Takaki’s low voice vibrates Minseok’s skull. “She couldn’t tell who was clinging to whom, but she thought it was funny that I was the one embracing you when you’re the older one.”

“Sets the tone for my entire life, honestly,” Minseok mumbles, but Takaki’s chuckle has his lips turning upward. His cheeks actually feel strained from not smiling for so long. “It was so cruel that they separated us.”

“Yeah, it was,” Takaki agrees. “Ever since I found out about you, all I do is think about what would have been different if you’d always been around. We’d be a lot closer, naturally, but we’d also have childhood memories. Right now all I have is the past year.”

“Better than nothing,” Minseok points out, and Takaki makes a noncommittal noise. Unconcerned in the outcome of this conversation, Minseok lets it drop and settles in the warm embrace, allowing Takaki’s heartbeat to lull him away once again to a place where everything is beautiful and nothing hurts.

“Hey,” he says quietly, but Takaki hears him. “Why do you believe me?”

Takaki makes an inquizzitive noise. “Hmm?”

“You never asked if I did it,” Minseok explains. “Just about everyone else asked, even my parents, and I’m not too sure that even they believe that I’m not just lying to stay out of trouble.”

“You said you didn’t do it,” Takaki says simply, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “You’ve never given me any reason to question your word.”

Minseok spends the next few days curled up with Takaki as much as he can. There are blocks of time where Takaki has to go off and do something or another with his group, and Minseok knows even before Takaki says anything that he has to leave. In some cases, one would call it twin like telepathy, but really, Takaki just wears his emotions right on his face all the time. He gets these almost constipated looks right before he says, “Apparently I’m needed for a thing.”

It’s kind of funny actually because Minseok of all people understands suddenly needing to drop something for group activities, but it appears that Takaki still worries each time about leaving him alone.

The breaks with Takaki out are nice though, because then Minseok has time to think and check his emails. His manager’s been emailing him, keeping him updated on what’s going on and being said about him and SM’s approach on the situation. No one really approves of his leaving the country unannounced, but it’s become an unspoken agreement that it’s for the best.

In the meantime, he and Takaki get closer. They talk about this, that, and the other thing, sharing stories about their childhood and years in their respective agencies before debut. It’s nice to be able to share this with someone who knows what it’s like but has different experiences with it.

Eventually they go to Takaki’s parents’ house which is all around awkward for about five minutes. It hasn’t really sunk in yet that his mother isn’t actually _his mother_ , but standing before him is Takaki’s mom, _his mom_  and he can kind of see it. It’s kind of weird, and once the realization dawns on him he tries not to linger on it for too long. Instead he tries to get to know this extension of a family he never thought could exist.

“I can’t believe you act,” Minseok says, curled up into one end of the family couch while he, Takaki, and Takaki’s mom all sit watching a marathon of things Takaki had starred in.

Takaki groans, burying his face into a cushion as his character on screen stands stoically and snaps at everyone. “Can we turn this off? It’s embarrassing.”

“You’re being a child, Yuya,” his mom says, exasperated. “I think it’s great that you got casted in these.”

“It was literally a drama about swimming!” Takaki shouts. “It only existed so we could be naked the entire time!”

Minseok frowns as he looks around Takaki’s form on the TV to the tall, scrawny one who keeps trying to be taller than Chanyeol. “Japanese idols have no muscle!” he teases, earning a tackle from Takaki that turns into a long overdue wrestling match where their mom scolds them for roughhousing indoors and they end up laughing with tangled limbs.

Between Takaki’s unconditional support and some long overdue family time, Minseok returns to South Korea ready to take on the whole country. Even his groupmates are amazed at how well he’s handling the pressure (though Baekhyun suspects certain activities that has Minseok throwing up a little in the back of his mouth), and when it’s time for his day in court, Takaki’s the one waiting for him outside the building.

“Nothing is weirder than seeing all four of our parents together,” Takaki greets him, making a face like he’d just sucked on a lemon. “I’m cool with you and all, but I don’t like to think about how this happened.”

“I can’t believe that witness admitted to lying on social media,” Minseok says, stating the only thing on his mind after four hours of grueling testimony and pleading his case. His face hurts from how big he’s grinning. “How stupid can you be?”

“Stupid enough to try and ruin the life of someone who doesn’t deserve it,” Takaki answers. “You’re way too nice to do something horrible like that, anyway. You’d probably stay and try to save them even if it means going to jail.”

Minseok laughs freely for the first time in a long while. “Baekhyun said the same thing.”

“Smart guy.” Takaki winks.

“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay away from him,” Minseok warns, but Takaki just pretends like he doesn’t know what Minseok is talking about.

The entirety of EXO celebrate Minseok’s case being thrown out, claiming that they never doubted him for a minute, and Minseok’s so glad this mess is over that he doesn’t care if they did. They get exceptionally shit-faced, Takaki fitting in like he’s been a member forever, and Minseok pretends not to notice when Takaki cozies up with Jongin.

“Your better half seems to like our young one,” Junmyeon stage whispers, nearly falling on Minseok as he tries to sit next to him.

Minseok sighs. “At least it’s not Baekhyun.”

“I’ll drink to that,” Junmyeon slurs. Minseok thinks that their leader would drink to North Korea right now as he clinks their bottles together, amused as how lightweight they all are.

“Hey, Minseok-hyung and Yuya-hyung!” Baekhyun yells, and Minseok’s already cringing before the next words come. “What do you think your parents are doing right now?”

It’s Takaki who groans, any chance of Jongin getting some tonight completely gone judging by the disgusted look on Takaki’s face. It would be funny if Minseok wasn’t equally as grossed out, even if he might thank Baekhyun later for preventing what could have been a disastrous drunken fling.

“Hopefully they use protection this time,” Kyungsoo calls out with a snort. “We don’t need anymore international idol twins.”

“I’m kinda glad they didn’t last time,” Minseok blurts out, feeling sheepish the minute the words leave his lips.

His asshole groupmates start awwing like a bunch of starry-eyed fangirls, but Takaki’s expression becomes much brighter. “Me too.”


End file.
